Happy Halloween

I am sorry, but I have moved and renamed this post to The House. Please click through and enjoy the story.

Ghostly Encounters

After I listed my seven things, I received several replies from those wanting to know about the ghosts I have seen. Well, here are three instances which stand-out in my mind...

This first instance occurred when I was at work. During college, I had a job delivering papers in the early morning. There was a portion of my route which consisted of a series of interconnected apartment building and was easier to deliver on foot. So, I put the papers in my bag and started to walk through the complexes. Then time was around 2:00 AM and I was walking along the sidewalk. As always, there were cars parked along the street and as I passed one car, I noticed that there was a man sitting inside the car. Since it was 2:00 in the morning, this seemed a little out of place, I did a double-take and the car was empty. Believe me, I checked the entire car and there was no one inside. You may be thinking that I must have imagined it and that would be a valid question. However, firstly the car was parked under a street light, so the interior was well-lit. Secondly, my job required me to be very observant...you do need to be able to recognize landmarks and addresses, etc. in the dark. I also needed to be observant with regards to my own safety. (Stockton is not exactly a safe city).

This next occurrence happened in our apartment; However, I will need to try and give you a visual image of the layout.
Our apartment was a one bedroom unit located on the third floor. When you stood in our bedroom doorway and turned to the right, you could see the kitchen counter. On the left side of the counter was the kitchen and straight-off the kitchen was the laundry room; on the right would be the living/dining room. Walking straight and jogging slightly to the left then right, you would be in the kitchen and if you continued walking, you would be in the laundry room. If you would have jogged-right, you would be in the living room.

Now, When we had our first child, we placed the crib in the dining room, since it made a perfect fit for the crib and changing table. For the first few weeks, I took the night shift and stayed-up and watched the baby while my wife slept. Finally, once a routine had been established, I started sleeping in our bedroom again. One night about four months later, I woke up when I heard our daughter screaming. As I exited the bedroom door, I saw three "things" running from the crib, through the living room and into the kitchen. They then went through the kitchen and into the laundry room where they disappeared. All I remember was that they were about 3 feet high and did not resemble anything I had ever seen before. Whatever it was had been bothering my little girl. I stood over her and comforted her and as I was doing so, I said a prayer over her. This never happened again.

This final instance occurred just a few years ago. I had recently broken my foot and was in a constant state of pain. (maybe this made me more receptive??)We usually leave a nightlight on in the kitchen to make it easier to see if we need to get up. One night, I went to sleep and for some reason I suddenly woke up. Silhouetted against the nightlight, standing inside the bedroom and to the side of the doorway was a woman with blond hair and wearing jeans. She stayed for a moment and then just disappeared. The next day, I learned that at roughly the same time she appeared, a young woman was killed in a fatal accident not far from where we live.

Angel or Imagination

Thank you for your interest in this story. I have re-published it and you can find it at A Spooky Camping Story

Seven Things About Me

A few days ago, I was tagged by BeadedTail and today, Chica & Pumuckl got me with the same tag. The purpose: I'm to give 7 random facts about myself. As always...Da Rules: tag other people that you want to know a little more about. As always, this is completely voluntary and I promise not to call the Tag Police (TPD) if you choose not to participate. Anyway, now for some completely useless, dull, uninteresting, choose your own adjective, facts about me...

1. If I had listened to my Graduate School Faculty Advisor, I would currently be a college history professor, instead of a stay-at-home dad.


2. I would rather drive a stick shift than an automatic


3. The longest shift I had at work was 32 hours


4. I love Ghost Hunters and yes, I have seen a few ghosts


5. My favorite season is the Fall. I love the change from hot to cool and the smell of long-dormant fireplaces once again being used


6. During college, I went on a finance tour of Europe and during our weekend off, My friend said that she would like to go to East Berlin, so we went. This was back when the wall was still up. It was pretty scary at times. There were armed guards everywhere and we were constantly watched. Although it was against the law, we took our pictures in front of the wall. Before we left, we gave our passport information to one of our friends and told her if we weren't back by a certain time, to contact the Embassy.


Yes,that's me in front of the Berlin Wall, many years ago looking stupid. Don't ask me why I posed like that. This is why I don't take pictures of myself anymore.






7. In high school, I took flying lessons until I was no longer able to afford it. Yes, I love to fly (when I'm the one at the controls).

Mommy's Little Corner

Marriage and Beyond

Holy Cuteness

My World in My Own Word

Mariuca

Thank You to My Advertisiers: 10/19-10/25

As of November 2009, I will no longer be with Entrecard, so in order to free-up valuable file space, I have removed the images and contents from this page. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, I invite you to stop by my main page and see if there is anything of interest to you...

Everyday Living

Friday Fotos

courtesy of... tularecounty.com



Another Reason to Not Park in Front of a Hydrant...

courtesy of... http://www.loldose.com/funny-pictures/emergency.jpg/view....page not found, so link is deactivated


Whatever you Do, Don't Look Behind You...

courtesy of... www.pelapapas.com



You Can't Pin This One on Me, Copper...

courtesy of... photobucket.com

Herb Flavored Vinegars

Although it is several months away, there is no time like the present to begin thinking about Christmas gifts for this year. The following recipe for Herb Infused Vinegar takes between 1-2 months to prepare. So, if you start within the next few weeks, you should have a great and elegant gift for your friends and relatives. This makes a great gift for any occasion, not just Christmas.

I happen to use this vinegar to flavor the chicken for my Chicken with Rice recipe. Just add the vinegar to the chicken and let it marinade in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, longer if you like a more intense rosemary flavor.

What you'll need:

• 3 cups of a mild vinegar (I use regular White Wine Vinegar)


• 1 cup, your choice, of crushed herbs (for this example I will be using Rosemary)


• 1- Quart Mason Jar and Lid


• fresh sprigs of the herb(s) you used

Let's get started:

1. Take the rosemary and crush. Keep adding until you get a cup.


2. Pour the crushed herbs into the Mason Jar


3. Add the 3 cups of vinegar


4. Cover and store in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month

After 1 month:

1. Take a strainer and line it with a coffee filter


2. strain the vinegar into another vessel


3. place 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary into a bottle


4. using a funnel, pour the vinegar into the bottle until full


5. repeat with additional bottles.

This recipe makes approximately 2 bottles of vinegar. If you have a lot of friends and family, you can always increase the amount you are making. Just remember to keep to the 3:1 ratio; 3 cups of vinegar to 1 cup of crushed herbs. ( to double, it would be 6 cups of vinegar to 2 cups of crushed herbs).

For a good source of bottles, you can check-out some of the links below or you can head to your local crafts store. I get mine from Specialty Bottle. They have the best bottles for the least price ($1.15-$1.70 each w/cork and no minimum to buy). For a more elegant bottle, you can try the one from Amazon. If you have any questions, or if you need any help in preparing this, please leave a message in the comments and I will be glad to help.

Best...
specialtybottle.com

To compare...
ebottles.com

Cleaning the Dryer Vent

This weekend I took it upon myself to do something that I had been putting off for quite some time: Cleaning the dryer vent. We have been living in our house for a little over 9 years and during that time, I have never once cleaned the vent. I had been hearing advertisements from companies offering to perform this very necessary service for $50.00 but, since I am thrifty (cheap), I decided to do it myself. What prompted this move to clean my dryer vent? In one word...Safety. I understand, but usually never think about, the fact that a clogged dryer vent can lead to a house fire. For example, "a January 2007 report by the U.S. Fire Administration indicates that dryer fires account for an average of 15,000 fires with an approximate $88 Million in property damage, 15 deaths and 400 injuries annually. “Failure to clean” was cited as the leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires in residential buildings."¹

The three telltale signs of a clogged dryer vent are:

• Clothing is still damp at the end of normal cycle or requires longer dryer times (especially heavy items like jeans or towels).


• Clothes are hotter than usual at the end of the cycle.


• The flapper on the vent hood doesn't open when dryer is on.
²

The first step is to pull the dryer from the wall and detach the hose from the dryer. As I detached the hose from the vent pipe, I noticed that it was never fully attached, which could explain why we had lint behind the dryer. In our house the 4-inch vent pipe goes up through the wall and exits out the roof. Now, instead of climbing on the roof, taking off the cap and peering down through the pipe, I took a flashlight and a mirror and put the mirror at the base of the pipe and shined the flashlight on the mirror. I then angled the mirror so I could see the interior of the pipe, all the way to the top of the pipe. Luckily, the vent pipe was nice and clean, so I did not need to go on the roof and push my vent cleaner (stiff wire brush attached to 10 feet of flexible cable)down through the pipe and into the laundry room below, thus clearing out all the lint.

Now, to re-attach the hose. Firstly, I need to say that our old hose was one of those really cheap models, kind of like aluminum foil. These types of hoses are not only cheap, but they are not UL approved. So, I went and purchased a semi-rigid hose, which I could cut to fit. I then began to fit the hose onto the vent, but noticed that it still would not fit. Then it dawned on me, the hose was never meant to fit directly onto the vent pipe. I needed a coupler.
After purchasing the coupler and some duct tape, I attached the coupler to the vent pipe and taped the seam (not necessary, but still sound practice). I then attached the hose to the coupler and taped the seam with duct tape. I then attached the hose to the dryer and again taped the seam. Mission accomplished.

I highly recommend that you check this often overlooked, but very important item in your house. A few minutes spent ensuring that your vent is clear can save you thousands of dollars or even your life. If you do not feel comfortable checking the dryer vent yourself, then please have someone do it for you. The companies that clean vents, only charge about $50.00 to provide this service.

Another note: When you finish using your washing machine, do you turn-off the water? It would be a good habit to get into, because the hoses that you use for your washing machine are not designed to handle the continuous, 24 hour a day, 7 day a week pressure of your home water supply. Sooner or later the hose will wear and break, thus causing a serious flood. So, unless you go the Hardware Store and purchase Washing Machine hoses that are specifically designed to handle that type of pressure, you should make it a habit to turn-off the water to your washing machine once you are finished using it.



¹www.emailwire.com

²allgoneservices.com

Thank You to My Advertisers: 10/12-10/19

As of November 2009, I will no longer be with Entrecard, so in order to free-up valuable file space, I have removed the images and contents from this page. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, I invite you to stop by my main page and see if there is anything of interest to you...

Everyday Living

Two Cool Awards

Last week, I received 2 other awards that I would like to pass along at this time. I received the I Love Your Blog Award from The Life of an Unbalanced Libra and the Uber Amazing Award from Ocean of Perspectives. I want to thank them both for these two terrific awards. As always, I understand that some may not be able to participate. The purpose of these awards is to acknowledge the hard work and dedication you put into your blogs.




Uber Amazing Blog Award...



Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:
~ inspires you
~ makes you smile and laugh
~ or maybe gives amazing information
~ a great read
~ has an amazing design
~ and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!

The rules of this award are:

* Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

My Butterfly Award

I want to take this time to apologize for not announcing this award sooner. I have just been been swamped with things I have had to do. It mostly revolves around my teaching duties for my kids. I have been awarded several awards in the last few weeks and I have been woefully negligent in following-up with passing the awards along. I also need to apologize for the award that I lost. You see, I am still new at receiving awards and I figured that I could just keep track of them in my head. However, after receiving several awards at once, it soon became apparent that I need to come up with a better system of keeping track of them. This being the case, I decided to create a new folder just for awards. I am hopeful that this will prevent me from losing another one. I want you to know that I really appreciate these awards and I do not take them lightly. I am very sorry for losing the one award and for being so tardy in acknowledging my other ones. So, over the next few days, I will be passing along the awards that have been so graciously awarded to me.

A few weeks ago, I was honored that Ask Ms Recipe has elected to pass along the...



Da Rules:
1.Put the logo on your blog.

2.Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.

3.Link 10 other bloggers whom you wanted to share this award to.

Once again, I realize that not everyone will be able to participate, but that does not matter. I only want you to know that you are deserving of this award and to thank you for making my wanderings throughout the Internet more enjoyable.

Friday and Fotos

I'm Still Not Asking Directions...

courtesy of... darkroastedblend.com



Who's Shedding Tears Over This...

courtesy of... travelingtiger.com



A Good Reason to Watch Your Kids...

courtesy of... fantm.com



The Ikea Kitty...

courtesy of... icanhascheezburger.com

Feline Stomatitis

This article provides only very general information of Feline Stomatitis and for a more comprehensive explanation please follow the links at the end of the page.

Definition:

Stomatitis is an inflammation of the mucous lining any soft-tissue structures in the mouth. It often includes ulcerated tissue in the back of the mouth, inside the cheek-pouches, and even the back of the throat. It also manifests itself as severe inflammation where the teeth and gums meet.¹


Causes:

Feline Stomatitis is largely seen in adult domestic cats; however, purebred cats and those living in multi-cat households tend to develop stomatitis at a younger age.There can be a number of factors that can cause stomatitis and they range from exposure to viral infections such as calcivirus, bacterial infections such as Bartonella henselae, or an autoimmune condition where the cat's body attacks what it thinks to be a foreign substance, such as the enamel in its teeth.² There are also some who feel that it could also be caused by a food allergy (To rule-out a food allergy, try putting your cat on a limited-ingredient grain-free, poultry or rabbit diet³).

Symptoms:

Cats who have stomatitis often have a history of halitosis (bad breath), pawing at the face, drooling, pain when eating, refusing to eat, running away from the food bowl, not wanting their face touched, being less active, and weight loss.⁴



Treatment

Treatment of a cat with stomatitis can be very challenging to both the veterinarian and the cat's owner. The veterinarian will have to try a variety of treatments in order to find one that will actually be effective.

• The first thing that should be done, will be to have your cat tested for feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), or both.


• An oral examination to determine the extent of the illness. It may be necessary to thoroughly clean the teeth and gums, usually done under general anesthesia.


• It is also generally advocated to conduct a systematic administration of antibiotics such as amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, clindamycin, metronidazole, and doxycycline.⁵


• Along with the antibiotic treatment, your vet may teach you how to daily brush your cat's teeth and then irrigate his mouth with a 0.2% solution of chlorhexidine⁶. Unfortunately, it may not be possible to brush your cat's teeth, due to the pain.


• Repeated CO₂ laser treatment of inflamed oral tissues has been reported to result in dramatic improvement and reduce the pain⁷.


• Lastly, "Removing healthy teeth is an option for cats with stomatitis that do not respond to medication or when side effects of drug therapy are not acceptable. Tooth extraction removes the surfaces that retain plaque, thus decreasing accumulation of bacteria and the associated inflammatory response"⁸.

Although this is a radical step, in most cases this will provide long-term success.⁹

Ulceration of a cat's pharynx due to feline stomatitis

Resolution of ulcers two weeks after extraction of cheek teeth

For Additional Information...
^1,2,3feline outreach.org

^4,5,8veterinary news.dvm

^6,7,9www.dentalvet.com

Delete Cookies, No Way!

I am sitting here watching my beloved Packers play. I am also watching my wife bake cookies. She is making a double recipe of chocolate chip cookies. Since we had some left-over semi-sweet bakers chocolate (regular and white), she is using that instead of regular chocolate chips.

Here's my problem, I'm on this Die with a T and I really shouldn't be indulging my sweet tooth on such a delicious treat. You see, my sweet tooth is what got me into this mess in the first place. Before I started this diet, I had been a very bad person. One of the things I just loved to do, would be to have ice cream late at night. I'm not talking about just a few scoops, either. Hey, I'm no wimp I take at least a pint. I figure if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it big.

This continued for several weeks and I was happy as a clam (a fat clam). The thing was, I started making it a nightly routine. It turned into something that I HAD to do to make my day complete. Sounds stupid, but I am a creature of habit. If I do something more than a few times, it will soon become a routine and from a routine it becomes a habit...good or bad.

After my yearly visit to the doctor and the diabetes warning, I knew that I had some habits to break, one of them being no more cartons of ice cream at night (which, as you know is the worst time to eat anything). I guess I should tell you that its been over a year since I've had any ice cream.

Now, what does this all have to do with chocolate chip cookies? Well, in one word...moderation. There is no reason why I can't have a fresh, hot, just from the oven, chocolate chip cookie and a nice cold glass of milk. I just can't have a bowl-full of them. It does no harm to have something you shouldn't (diet-wise) now and then. You just have to do so in moderation. If you can limit your intake of the "evil" foods, you will no longer have those intense "must have" cravings for those foods.

Diets are hard enough to stick to, we just don't need to make them any harder. Try and vary the foods you eat each day. Eating the same thing each day not only gets boring, but it can actually derail your diet. They say that variety is the spice of life. We all need something to look forward to and having something different to eat each day can help keep that spice in your life. There will be times when you will be tempted with an evil cookie or piece of cake. As long as you can control your portions, the occasional detour into SweetsVille can be achieved.
Now, about that cookie...

Another article of interest...Dieting and Eating:The Battle Rages

Thanks to my Advertisers: 10/5-10/11

As of November 2009, I will no longer be with Entrecard, so in order to free-up valuable file space, I have removed the images and contents from this page. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, I invite you to stop by my main page and see if there is anything of interest to you...

Everyday Living

Transportation Foto Friday

Brown is not Amused...

courtesy of... 122.tinypic.com


The Revenge of Brown...

courtesy of... imageshack.us


You Know You're Being Watched...

courtesy of... blog.jimmyr.com


You Know It's Time to Go Back, When...

courtesy of... www.javasigns.com

Hittin' the Sauce

As I was checking my comments today, I noticed that several people (okay, 3) commented that they were wondering, "what about spaghetti sauce?" Well, I am here to tell you that spaghetti sauce is next on my hit-list.

We have between 40 and 50+ tomatoes that will be coming ripe by the weekend so, I have chosen Saturday as the day when I will make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce. You are probably asking yourself why you should care. However, this is the catch: I don't have any recipes that I want to use. When it comes to Alfredo Sauce, I have no problems and I can whip it up rather quickly. But when it comes to spaghetti sauce, I must say that I am stumped.

My last attempt did not go very well, mainly because the sauce came out tasting too acidic (yes, I should have added sugar) and the flavors were off. What I would like to do is ask any of you if you have any favorite recipes you would be willing to share. I plan on placing the sauce in quart-sized jars and freezing them. Since I am working on a scale which is larger then the usual recipe, just a list of ingredients would be fine and I can combine the ingredients to taste.

Also, I have noticed quite a few recipes which include hamburger and Italian sausage. Question: Since I am freezing the sauce, is it still alright to include the meat or should that be added at the time of service? Thanks for your help.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

I am currently in the process of making a HUGE mess in our kitchen. The reason...tomatoes. Yes, we have gotten our yearly flood of the round, red things and I am trying to figure out what to do with them all. To date, I have made two batches of salsa, each containing around 60 tomatoes, and we have given away bags of the things. So, what to do with the current crop?

My wife and I sat down and tried to come up with a plan. I suggested that we can the
remaining 100 or so, but she had a better idea: why not make a soup? So, with this plan in hand, I am currently making a Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup. My plan is to make a huge batch of the stuff and then store it in the freezer for later consumption. (A fancy way of saying we will eat the stuff...preferably with a grilled cheese sandwich).

Now, I am roasting, in batches, the tomatoes, garlic, onions, and carrots in the oven. This process alone has taken over 4 hours. It takes about 40-45 minutes per batch at 425⁰. As the veggies and tomatoes come out of the oven, I place them in a large stock pot, to which I have added tomato paste, bay leaves (Turkish), salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning. I wanted to add basil, but naturally I don't have any.

I have set the pots to boil and, after simmering for 1 hour, they are now cooling down. During this process, I re-seasoned it with a bit more of everything and also added some brown sugar and granulated sugar. I must say that the flavor is spot-on. Once cooled, I will process the soup in a blender and run it through a food mill. From there it will be into jars and a quick trip to the freezer.

After 9 hours, I have finally finished. I got a little over 10 quarts of Tomato soup. When I heat-up a serving, I like to add a touch of cream to the soup; it makes it taste much richer (and you wonder why I'm on a diet). Now, for the grilled cheese.

Thank You to my Advertisers 9/28-10/4

As of November 2009, I will no longer be with Entrecard, so in order to free-up valuable file space, I have removed the images and contents from this page. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, I invite you to stop by my main page and see if there is anything of interest to you...

Everyday Living

My September Top Droppers

As of November 2009, I will no longer be with Entrecard, so in order to free-up valuable file space, I have removed the images and contents from this page. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, I invite you to stop by my main page and see if there is anything of interest to you...

Everyday Living

Fotos on a Friday

Finally, Truth in Advertising...

courtesy of... tipoftheday.com



This is So Pathetic...

courtesy of... tocforme.com



Just Add Milk...

courtesy of... mfrost.typepad.com



The Tribe Has Spoken...

courtesy of...static.iftk.com (Edited to remove dead link)